cedar is a softer wood, so it absorbs some of the energy, which is slightly less sustain. but it’s incredibly sensitive too, so it takes almost no effort to make a note. redwood is stiffer so yea, it will have slightly more projection. cedar has less headroom, so you can drive the redwood a lot harder. i’m a cedar lowden lover!!!
The redwood's armrest is probably the factor that makes the guitar a little bit quieter than the cedar. I played Alvarez guitars at my local shop before. One with armrest(Mahogany) and without(Sitka), definitely not in Lowden's quality, but great for intermediate players looking for great sound and comfortability. The armrest is recommendable if you're practicing for hours with a deep guitar but it lessens the volume of the guitar. Great demo as always. Thank you.
I am fortunate enough to have the Redwood version with fanned frets. It is truly a special instrument and somehow is equally satisfying whether playing finger style or flat picking. Just amazing.
Red spruce ,or engelman bear claw spruce over mahogany or african blackwood. George Lowden wrote the book on that special celtic guitar construction formula. Red ceder or red wood over clear walnut are my preference for celtic fingerstyle guitar.
Ya'll need a tone wood expert. I volunteer 🙋♀️ lol (not an expert just a nerd) The greater the density of a given tone wood the tighter the frequency, greater projection (volume) and punch 👊 (responce) in the higher ranges. Cedar will punch in the mids as opposed to highs. Also cedar is a "hair trigger" wood. Very touchy. It's important to understand how the guitar is constructed isn't just key, it's the entire key ring (but ya'll know that already). Love ur vids! #HBG Ps. I had a J45 Custom Shop a while with African Burl Babinga b/s. Now that was interesting!
I love cedar tops, but was surprised that I like the sound of the redwood better. Better between these two guitars at least. Thanks for complicating my dream guitar build. :)
This was one that surprised a few people. Sorry if we threw a wrench your way! Hopefully we actually helped fine tune that dream of yours ;) Thanks for watching MD!
The cocobolo from the cedar guitar it is radial cut, also the sides, this could help a superior sound versus flatsawn cocobolo used for redwood guitar..Radial cut increase the response of the trebles (I refer to the back radial cut).Flatsawn of the back used to help a better bass.! Lighter tops used to be brighter (in sound), heavy tops used to have better bass🙂
I disagree on the sustain because on the redwood it was hit harder , but saying that love them both but out the two for me it’s cedar 😊. I degree about the bass aswell the cedar has a deeper more rounded bass the redwood is a bit more harder but not fuzzy 😊
The tunners are made by GOTOH, a Japanese manufacturer. I have an early 2000s O-38（Cedar top, Jacaranda）.Open tunings play the best 👍 The sound is as beautiful as the one and only 🌙 ✨ thanks from 🇯🇵🙇
Wow, I would not have expected a sinker redwood to sound so much softer than a non-sinker cedar : I thought a sinker wood would have been punchier due to beeing harder/stiffer. That cedar is a killer, lol !!
Toby has no shame....LOL My grandmothers beagle named Spotty was so fat but when the doorbell rang he had to be first to the door even if he had to grab my Grandma;s skirt & show her whose boss! LLOL
No matter at what depth of sleep Toby has escaped to, he also is never second to the door for a customer greet or guitar delivery. Our CEO is not shy when it comes to security! ;) Thanks for watching Mrs. Hun!
Endless sustain is NOT a good thing unless playing very slow stuff. Jus sayin. Dealers often try to make a big deal about how long the sustain is, but any and every serious player knows too much sustain can get muddy…so you guys are tying to influence the uneducated.
Interesting theory, JMP. For a large number of the boutique guitars we carry, there is incredible attention paid to the balance between volume, sustain and the response from these guitars. For an inexperienced builder, there may be the need to make a choice of where that dial is set, but for the brands we proudly carry, so many models accomplish a proper harmony between these attributes. Experienced players will be quick to tell you, long lasting sustain can be controlled by the player, but missing sustain is something they can do nothing about. Take a listen to some of our other videos featuring an artist that plays much higher tempo samples, and you may be pleasantly surprised to find no muddiness in his playing of guitars with incredible sustain.
@@HeartbreakerGuitars My comment did not address the balance between volume and lasting sustain. And since the player CAN limit the sustain, that only makes my point. Because WHY would there be a need to stop the sustain if not for the “muddy” quality it can and often DOES produce. So thanks for you comment which only verified my point.
@@valebliz hey genius, now WHY would a player need or want to END sustain if not for my point above? That too much sustain is NOT a good thing. So thanks for making my point for me genius.
The cedar top sounds awesome. I love these recent videos!!!! One of my dream guitars.
Assume you prefer the cedar - What is it you like better?
cedar is a softer wood, so it absorbs some of the energy, which is slightly less sustain. but it’s incredibly sensitive too, so it takes almost no effort to make a note. redwood is stiffer so yea, it will have slightly more projection. cedar has less headroom, so you can drive the redwood a lot harder. i’m a cedar lowden lover!!!
Lowden's sound signature is amazing. I hope one day I can play one
The redwood's armrest is probably the factor that makes the guitar a little bit quieter than the cedar. I played Alvarez guitars at my local shop before. One with armrest(Mahogany) and without(Sitka), definitely not in Lowden's quality, but great for intermediate players looking for great sound and comfortability. The armrest is recommendable if you're practicing for hours with a deep guitar but it lessens the volume of the guitar. Great demo as always. Thank you.
Thanks for the insight... great point!
Thank you so much for making this video, it is very, very helpful. I like what you guys do. Keep it up!
Thanks for sharing this dueling guitars. It helps to understand and appreciate tone woods.
It's our pleasure! Everyone has their own, personal preferences, but this helps some get an idea of what your audience may hear. Thanks for watching!
I have always loved Red Cedar tops.
That Cedar one got me, wow! What an alive instrument 👍
Two tough contenders though, right?
I am fortunate enough to have the Redwood version with fanned frets. It is truly a special instrument and somehow is equally satisfying whether playing finger style or flat picking. Just amazing.
Special indeed! We love these guitars!
Red spruce ,or engelman bear claw spruce over mahogany or african blackwood. George Lowden wrote the book on that special celtic guitar construction formula. Red ceder or red wood over clear walnut are my preference for celtic fingerstyle guitar.
Ya'll need a tone wood expert. I volunteer 🙋♀️ lol (not an expert just a nerd) The greater the density of a given tone wood the tighter the frequency, greater projection (volume) and punch 👊 (responce) in the higher ranges. Cedar will punch in the mids as opposed to highs. Also cedar is a "hair trigger" wood. Very touchy. It's important to understand how the guitar is constructed isn't just key, it's the entire key ring (but ya'll know that already). Love ur vids! #HBG
Ps. I had a J45 Custom Shop a while with African Burl Babinga b/s. Now that was interesting!
I like the dog at their back! So cute!
Sasa, meet Toby! The Heartbreaker Guitars Mascot... and CEO.
I love cedar tops, but was surprised that I like the sound of the redwood better. Better between these two guitars at least. Thanks for complicating my dream guitar build. :)
This was one that surprised a few people. Sorry if we threw a wrench your way! Hopefully we actually helped fine tune that dream of yours ;) Thanks for watching MD!
I still think I'd rather have a alpine spruce top. Cedar is very forgiving but for me I think I likw the shimmering highs & deep lows of Spruce
Both good choices, but you're right about the Spruce. It's far more popular and likely for good reason.
Where can I get one of those awesome HBG shirts like Juan John has on?
Very nice 👍
The cocobolo from the cedar guitar it is radial cut, also the sides, this could help a superior sound versus flatsawn cocobolo used for redwood guitar..Radial cut increase the response of the trebles (I refer to the back radial cut).Flatsawn of the back used to help a better bass.!
Lighter tops used to be brighter (in sound), heavy tops used to have better bass🙂
Very interesting, indeed - More comparisons on the way soon! Thanks for watching :)
I disagree on the sustain because on the redwood it was hit harder , but saying that love them both but out the two for me it’s cedar 😊. I degree about the bass aswell the cedar has a deeper more rounded bass the redwood is a bit more harder but not fuzzy 😊
The tunners are made by GOTOH, a Japanese manufacturer. I have an early 2000s O-38（Cedar top, Jacaranda）.Open tunings play the best 👍 The sound is as beautiful as the one and only 🌙 ✨ thanks from 🇯🇵🙇
The Redwood has a beveled armrest and the Cedar doesn’t. I’m thinking that is why the Cedar Lowden is louder 😊
Awesome video
Thanks for the visit
Wow, I would not have expected a sinker redwood to sound so much softer than a non-sinker cedar : I thought a sinker wood would have been punchier due to beeing harder/stiffer. That cedar is a killer, lol !!
Side by side, these different wood combinations have some surprises! Thanks for watching, B.L.!
OOOhhh Toby...thanks for the laughs...I never had a red wood top...Have cedar & alpine on rosewood...
The redwoods are getting harder to find in some brands, but we still see them come through the shop on occasion. Toby is always here to please!
I wish you guys would play a fingerstyle piece with a melody--one could judge a bit more of the sound quality.
Perhaps the next time around - Appreciate you watchin'
Seems Juan Jon mic wasn't on
We'll check it out - thanks for watching!
Redwood
Toby has no shame....LOL My grandmothers beagle named Spotty was so fat but when the doorbell rang he had to be first to the door even if he had to grab my Grandma;s skirt & show her whose boss! LLOL
No matter at what depth of sleep Toby has escaped to, he also is never second to the door for a customer greet or guitar delivery. Our CEO is not shy when it comes to security! ;) Thanks for watching Mrs. Hun!
@@HeartbreakerGuitars Funny hose beagles!!! Spotty was one ornery one though! He was out for blood. Thanks its...Miss H~
Diameter tangent is stronger than chord tangent.
Thanks for watching!
We both agree: this guitar is a little bit more lowden ...
He strummed stronger so it resonated longer, haha. It almost felt like he was "I will beat you!"
When ya gotta win, ya gotta win!
The guitars need to be finger styled! grrrrr
Thanks for watching!
Endless sustain is NOT a good thing unless playing very slow stuff. Jus sayin. Dealers often try to make a big deal about how long the sustain is, but any and every serious player knows too much sustain can get muddy…so you guys are tying to influence the uneducated.
Interesting theory, JMP. For a large number of the boutique guitars we carry, there is incredible attention paid to the balance between volume, sustain and the response from these guitars. For an inexperienced builder, there may be the need to make a choice of where that dial is set, but for the brands we proudly carry, so many models accomplish a proper harmony between these attributes. Experienced players will be quick to tell you, long lasting sustain can be controlled by the player, but missing sustain is something they can do nothing about. Take a listen to some of our other videos featuring an artist that plays much higher tempo samples, and you may be pleasantly surprised to find no muddiness in his playing of guitars with incredible sustain.
To end sustain you just stop fretting the note, genius.
@@HeartbreakerGuitars My comment did not address the balance between volume and lasting sustain. And since the player CAN limit the sustain, that only makes my point. Because WHY would there be a need to stop the sustain if not for the “muddy” quality it can and often DOES produce. So thanks for you comment which only verified my point.
@@valebliz hey genius, now WHY would a player need or want to END sustain if not for my point above? That too much sustain is NOT a good thing. So thanks for making my point for me genius.
So redwood has scooped mids vs Cedar has strong mids… Great comparison and thanks for sharing!